Home | For The love of Roses | Mama - Root, Hog, or Die Mama
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Non-gardeners will love this book, too. It is endorsed by none less than Patrick Smith, author of "A Land Remembered." |
In her folksy style, Oehlbeck writes: "Born in a cold back bedroom in mid-December of the coldest winter on record in Grayson County, Virginia, Mama knew what a man's world was like long before the concept became popular. At age 75 she told my father she needed a new chain saw and she got it."
In a time when heroes are too often hellions, when the flavor of rural life is almost forgotten, when too many people are living the exact opposite of the old adage of "waste not, want not", this book is a welcome reminder of generosity and ingenuity, of making do "not only for her family and friends but also for strangers who touched her life."
Both of Oehlbeck's parents, Nancy and Glenn Harding, had the uncanny ability to fix or make anything they needed or wanted. They built their own house. Together they ran a motorcycle repair shop after supper and on Saturday's. She ran it during the days while he worked full time at a furniture factory. Mama learned by lookin'. Since they both could and would fix anything, people brought in small appliances, anything with wheels, and toys by the dozens.
They lived on a corner lot that hobos and hungry youngsters knew as a good place to eat. They also had a farm nearby where his parents lived, but where all of them worked. They raised four children of their own, then later adopted and raised a fifth. While the book is full of wonderful stories, it is also full of mystique. You end up hoping there will be a seqeul.
And while you take the people to your heart, you are relieved to find them human. Mama got awfully tired of her daughter's constant questions and it took her a while to appreciate the carpet of bouqainvillea petals that covered her daughter's porch and steps when she visited Oelhbeck's Florida home. Mama was all for grabbing a broom and sweeping them clear.
Mama took it right in stride when a young woman appeared at her door in tears on a winter morning looking for the greenhouse growing pink violets that she had to have for her wedding bouquet later that day. The florist had seen some in a window on Spring Street. Once she calmed the girl, Mama took her upstairs to the huge plant in the dormer window, got a jar, and picked close to three dozen stems of pink African violets, well over 50 blooms, her gift to the bride.
Each chapter is a story in itself so you can read the book little by little if you don't get too hooked. While Mama is definitely the main character, the author also brings to life the dear man she always calls "my father." But the love between them all comes through strong and clear
335 pages, hardcover, illustrated with excellent photos, many by Dr. Luther Oehlbeck, but some by Mama herself.
Mama, Root, Hog or Die - $24.95 -
